Las familias que ya reciben beneficios de asistencia pública, como SNAP, verán automáticamente los beneficios agregados a la tarjeta Link que utilizan para esos beneficios existentes. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file photo Las familias de Illinois con niños en edad escolar pueden ser elegibles para un nuevo programa durante las vacaciones de verano que tiene como objetivo reemplazar las comidas que comen en la escuela. Las familias participantes recibirán una tarjeta de débito con $120 por niño, gracias al programa de Transferencia Electrónica de Beneficios de Verano (EBT, por sus siglas e ..read more

Grocery and convenience stores that accept SNAP benefits will participate in the late summer EBT program in Illinois. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file photo Illinois families with school-age children may be eligible for a new program over the summer break that aims to replace free school meals. Participating families will receive a one-time grocery debit card loaded with $120 per child, thanks to the federally funded Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program. “Many families who rely on these free and reduced-price school meals that they get during the school year lose access to these impo ..read more

David Vargas y su esposa, Daryenis, bailan a horas de casarse con otras 14 parejas de inmigrantes el viernes por la noche. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Las novias ansiosas se pusieron vestidos, los últimos toques de maquillaje y se ajustaron los velos y las coronas en un salón de clases en Park Community Church en Chicago. Una de las novias, Yamileth Parra, dijo que se hospeda en un albergue para migrantes con su pareja, Heber Guillén, y sus dos hijos. Está emocionada de casarse finalmente después de 15 años con su pareja. Dijo que le encantaba su vestido, que, aunque fue prestado, le quedó bien ..read more

David Vargas and his wife, Daryenis, dance hours after they got married with 14 other migrant couples Friday night on the Far North Side. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Anxious brides put on wedding dresses, fixed each other’s makeup and adjusted their veils and tiaras on Friday inside a classroom at Park Community Church in Chicago. One of the brides, Yamileth Parra, said she is staying at a migrant shelter with her partner, Heber Guillen, and their two kids. She is excited to finally marry her partner of 15 years. She said she loves her gown, which although borrowed, fits her well. The mermaid-s ..read more

Anyela Faneite and Yorfran Chirinos are one of 15 couples newly arrived in Chicago who’ll be tying the knot Friday at Park Community Church Near North. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times Back in Venezuela, Luis Rodriguez was the "popular boy" in high school: slim with an athletic build and a mischievous smile. Crucelis Rodriguez, who is a couple of years older, was more reserved, studious and focused on graduating. It was those qualities that first caught Luis' eye and captivated his heart. "She was a hard worker, kind of serious," said Luis, 28. "She was responsible and curious; I liked ..read more

El alcalde Brandon Johnson reunido con migrantes alojados en la comisaría del distrito de Near West el año pasado. | Anthony Vazquez/Archivos Sun-Times Los miembros del Concejo Municipal aprobaron el viernes un excedente de gasto de $70 millones que, con la ayuda del condado y el estado, se espera que cubra los gastos hasta finales de año para atender a la llegada de solicitantes de asilo enviados a Chicago desde la frontera sur de Estados Unidos. Por 30 votos a favor y 18 en contra, los miembros del Consejo respaldaron la última ronda de financiación para una crisis que ha puesto en evide ..read more

Protestors rally in Congress Plaza in support of legalization of undocumented immigrants in October 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times As the co-chair of The Illinois Latino Agenda, a coalition that is leading with a bold commitment to advocate for the needs of our people, a child of an immigrant, and someone who leads a nonprofit organization serving Latino communities, I felt compelled to respond to your recent editorial, which suggests that asking President Joe Biden to extend work permits through parole is an excessive demand. A majority of Illinois undocumented workers are Latino and 3 ..read more

Mayor Brandon Johnson meets migrants staying at the Near West district police station last year. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times (file) City Council members on Friday approved $70 million in surplus spending that, with assistance from the county and state, is expected to cover expenses through the end of the year to care for the influx of asylum-seekers sent to Chicago from the Southern U.S. border. By a vote of 30-18, Council members backed the latest round of funding for a crisis that has highlighted racial divisions in the city, raising questions about committing money to new Latino arrival ..read more

Minyon Moore, chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee, discusses the 2024 Democratic National Convention during a news conference at the Hilton Chicago, Thursday. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Top state Democratic Party leaders on Thursday vowed “Blue Wall” unity ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago despite party fissures over the war in Gaza and the ongoing migrant crisis — and polls that show President Joe Biden still must gain ground to win key battleground states. Democrats are deeply focused on Wisconsin and Michigan to help bolster Biden’s re-election chanc ..read more

Walter “Slim” Coleman (center) speaks at a rally in the Loop called to protest an immigration raid in Little Village in 2007. Al Podgorski/Chicago Sun-Times Walter 'Slim' Coleman, a dyed-in-the-wool radical activist of the 1960s who for decades harnessed the power of the city's poor to challenge its power structure and achieve social justice goals, died Tuesday after a long bout with illness. He was 80. One of his biggest accomplishments was helping to organize a voting drive in Chicago's poor white communities that helped elect Mayor Harold Washington, the city's first Black mayor. Mr ..read more